Colin Lindsay

I have one for the Herald but the main reason is because the original was rusty. I have an alloy waterpump housing on the GT6, and for some reason an alloy distributor pedestal (that must have been a significant saving!) but again neither were for weight saving, just ease of maintenance and no rust. The biggest weightsaving on Heralds (and possibly Spitfires?) is an alloy bellhousing, as the cast iron version weighs an absolute ton.

I find it strange that two pumps are causing the same problem; this points to something other than the pump being at fault. If you want to try a different pump pm me, I've refurbished half a dozen of them over Lockdown and can send you one to try.

Be careful buying second-hand, some owners may have replaced theirs due to problems or wear and I've worked under ramps that were so worn they came down, albeit very slowly and with much creaking, as you worked. The one in your link is interesting; it certainly seems to have a very high reach.

The GT6 MK1 (not sure about the Mk2) had the load area extended right up to the back of the seats, so that there was a 'cubby-hole' covered area for storage. There are two small triangular brackets, not shown in the diagram, flat side to the top, on each wheelarch and a central support part 2 below on top of the centre tunnel. A long angled trim part 1 runs the entire length at the front. The wooden panel rests on top of the raised tunnel across the rear, where the two larger panels sit, bolts to each wheelarch and is strengthened by the centre support.

Both reds go together so if that's where they came off, fine.

Probably all the same, and many are woeful quality that require replacing almost yearly. If you can, get hold of an original one (Not sure how hard the Vitesse ones are to find, the Herald ones are quite common) and have it refurbished. Here's the thread Johny mentioned:

Any good rubberised sealer will work; back in the day the factory used what was currently available and things have definitely moved on since then. I cushioned the Herald windows with strips of inner tyre cut to size and wrapped around the lower edge before pressing into the bottom channel with black sealer; once dry it held very well and so far hasn't come out again.

Our local branch 'Garage Day' should be coming up soon, Covid regulations permitting; members bring their cars across and everything gets checked cleaned and refilled as necessary like a production line. The first one was two years ago and we had completely empty diffs and almost dry gearboxes; last year any of the culprits who came back were refilled but not as low as the year before. I've laid in five litres of EP90 just in case.

I've no experience of the stuff at all so maybe just a possibly unfair guess but: has it gone the way of all good stuff like weedkiller, flyspray and the like by using greener more organic and therefore totally useless ingredients?

I grew up with those driving about the local streets, along with Humber Pigs and Saracens. Very strange driving position.

From Paul's post above (68vitesse) it will all depend on how much the spring requires to be pulled down. My estate went into place first time and needed less than an inch of lifting for the rear links; the convertible with eleven leaves required a lot of work to get it pulled down to the diff - see photo. There's no limitation in the stud holes, as John says, so that means any excess bolt length will continue on down into the interior; will it go as far as any moving part? That's the calculation you need to be careful with. Edit: John has just replied above, the method of using longer threaded rod to pull the spring down is the tried and tested method, and that's the way to do it - pull the spring down, fit the studs once you're able, and continue the tightening that way. Even standing on my spring wouldn't compress it down far enough...

Especially 'Er Indoors... you spend the day weeding, gardening, cleaning gutters, preparing meals, polishing and cleaning inside the house, setting the fire etc then SHE comes home and looks round before sniffily commenting: "You haven't done as much as I thought you would...." I'm just over three years retired and the days are flying. There aren't enough hours in the day, however lockdown has been the greatest bonus for the garage as there's been nowhere to go to get DIY stuff for the house. On the down side the writing and recording markets are glutted with people working from home so agents are becoming very picky. I wish they'd all get back to work and leave the world free for the pensioners again.

...and are no fun for anyone who likes tinkering... for Triumph owners, 'long life' are two four letter words....

On my Herald restoration thread I fitted a refurbished rear spring, and it was almost six inches above the diff casing when attached to both links. I was very wary of the strength involved, there's a lot of tension, so ended up attaching only one end of the spring to one of the vertical links, letting the other end drop down (tight to the axle). Only by doing this was I able to get the nuts started on the studs, and tightened it down until I was happy that they would hold with clear threads visible. It then became a matter of lifting the spring, and manoeuvering the end of the other link, until I could get the bolt through. Once I had both in I was able to fully tighten the nuts, almost like torquing a head, tightening in sequence and keeping the pressure even. The studs tighten in the casing until they reach the end of the threads; the top end then screws down, with thread to spare, until the spring is tight. If using bolts you'd need to very carefully calculate the length, where the end screws down into the diff with no unthreaded part to limit the travel, and I think if they're the length they need to be when tightened they won't be long enough to pull the top plate down initially.

No!! Don't so it! It goes off to the sandblaster looking vaguely like a car and comes back looking like lace curtains. It's a totally depressing experience.

Oh Lord I dream of a tub that good...

I know you have to remove all of the water before using 4-Life; that's fairly obvious - you don't want any water in the system. For replacing the 4-Life, I don't know what chemicals it has that would cause any problems. I've read plenty of boards on the stuff (many with exactly the same info and phrases so may be an 'insider' singing the praises) but I can't think of anything that it would leave behind when removed. Drain, flush well, refill and run for a few hours, (make sure the heater valve is open) then repeat. Any of the testimonials I've looked at enthused at how clean their engine components were ("I changed my water pump after ten years and it was still a good pump"... so why change it at all??? ) but a good flush followed by a final refill of deionised water and blue Glycol should see the car back to normal.

Full set of four on eBay, seller is in Chatham. They need a good wash, going by those photos! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/triumph-herald-steel-wheels/233945027731?hash=item367835d493:g:5n0AAOSwJTNgHrsC

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-R1543-SHOCK-ABSORBERS-PAIR-SHOCKER-OE-QUALITY/303819842093?epid=249519190&hash=item46bd12e22d:g:WfsAAOSwmOhf4NZr These look like the pair that I've just fitted to the Herald; plain black no frills but bought at the International a few years back. I reckon they'll be fine for the sort of driving I'll be doing.

Early Heralds not being the most difficult of engines are easier to keep running; I've got a new set of the old pink Champion plugs that they were originally supplied with and will probably use those on one of mine, but I was recently recommended Brisk plugs, apparently very popular with motorcyclists - the Brisk NR15S plugs fit the Heralds and other four cylinders. They cost me about a fiver each. Sometimes the older, simpler technology is better for our engines.

I've just tried the polybushes for the first time; certainly a lot simpler than juggling shields and rubber seals. Only time will tell how they perform (could be a lot of time, the body isn't on yet...) https://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/rear-trunion-bush-kit-axle-set-polyurethane Incidentally the old bushes weren't wasted; they went on either side of a wheelbarrow axle and stopped the most annoying squeaking...

That's a great attitude. Too many would just cover it up and flog it. I fully understand how a small bit of rust in a wheelarch can end up as a full rebuild; my GT6 rebuild started with a one inch crack in the bonnet. I love VWs, I'm still mystified as to why I never got into Beetles, having looked at one at 18 as my preferred first car but even then I could tell that it was rotten. If I'd bought one, instead of my first Spitfire, life would have been so different!

When I spray undercoat in the garage, usually on freshly sandblasted parts and in a warm environment, I can recoat within an hour. I don't really have the 'expert' hard and fast rule, if it's a big collection of parts it can be another coat anything from two to four hours, and often overnight. The topcoat most recently has been black gloss and I allow it to dry completely, at least two hours for a fine coat, before usually turning the item around and spraying the other side; then back again after the same amount of time. A thin coat of 'normal' bodywork paint should be dry enough in a couple of hours to risk another without the first mixing and sagging. My garage is often very warm so that the paint dries within minutes so I use thin coats, almost see through, and plenty of them to build up the thickness.

Good preparation as always with paint, but with rattle cans, shake well and apply thinly. You can get a good finish - certainly good enough for inside the boot - but make sure the paint is well mixed, and apply thin coats, allowing time between so that the next coat won't sag or run.

As far as I've been able to find, CAB is just the factory code. I've located other codes that might help with a match: